The eighth commandment

Leviticus 19.13

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him.”

Robbery is a form of oppression in that it deprives a person of that which God has freely given him for use in seeking the Kingdom of God. To rob another is to take the place of God in that person’s life by assuming ownership of property and, thus, redefining the parameters within which one may serve the Lord and seek His Kingdom.

Other forms of oppression also exist, and they are often bound up with property: unlawful taxation; unreasonable restrictions on property use; government seizure of property, for example, in the name of eminent domain; and so forth.

We oppress our neighbors in these ways by constraining their freedom to serve and enjoy the Lord according the station in life He has assigned to them. All such forms of oppression are unlawful.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.